Time out!

Hi guys..!

Just a quick message to say that I need a lil blog time out for the moment..

 

 

I’ve been super uber bizzy and I’m not sure yet If I want to continue blogging in the future for many reasons..

Keep you posted soon!

Take care everyone!!

Love,

Nathalie

Enter: More raw foods..

Hey hey

I’m preparing for a 4 day trip to Germany, Essen to do some shows for the same bridal brand ( remember Paris?) We’re staying in the Sheraton so I think we’ll be getting a good night’s sleep..(I think I’m gonna need it after standing on those heels again the entire day ) And a darn good breakfast!! My favourite part of staying in a hotel is defenitely waking up and preparing to go to breakfast.. Especially if it’s a full buffet breakfast ha!   I usually try not to put everything on my plate but walk around for a bit and then pick out the healthy options.. ( Fruit/ yoghurt/ veggies/ muesli / dark bread and so on..)

Recently I’ve been trying to incorporate more raw veggies in my diet.. Since reading Sabine’sblog @ the fruitpursuit.com eating raw most of the time .. I’ve been wanting to do it myself as well.. Firstly because I’ve been feeling a bit off in the energy department and secondly because I just think it’s very healthy.. So I’ve been making some awesome salads! I’m also planning on starting to juice more, but I’m still browsing the stores for a decent juicer ( = not too expensive )

The best salad!

• Spinach leaves
• lentils
• 1/2 veggie steak 
• copped cucumber
• chopped sweet paprika
• chopped cherry tomatoes
• chopped sundried tomatoes
• sunflower seeds
• garden herbs hummus

 

• Green salad
• cucumber
• tomatoes
• belgian andive
• watercress
• cherry tomatoes
• northsea shrimps

 

After work yesterday, I was so hungry ( it was already 9 pm) that I didn’t want to spend a lot of time preparing food.. Enter: chocolate protein oats!

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup water
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 teaspoon cacao
• toppings: banana, raw cacao nibs, sunflower seeds

And not to forget a kiwi

After Bikram yoga this morning I really craved a protein muffin.. And it was glorious!

• 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon of peanut flower
• 1 grated apple
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1 splash of rice milk

For the frosting I mixed one tablespoon of peanut powder with a bit of chocolate portein powder and some rice milk.. It was yammy! Put some banana and some raw cacao nibs on top et voila! Delish post workout muffin!

 

 

Snackage:

2 wasa crackers with ligth cheese and some smoked salmon..

Tonight We’re going out to celebrate my mom-in-law her birthday.. I’m thinking some kind of salad, I have to get my raw veggies in

I want out to buy these for her birthday: Swarovski earrings, you think she will like them?

 

Questions:

- What is on your wish list for your birthday?

- How do you incorpate veggies in your diet?

 

 

 

The Photoshop phenomenon..

Hi guys!

Today I wanted to do a little post about the photoshop phenomenon.. As a model, I’ve experienced myself that a lot of photos are being photoshopped.. Sometimes just a little to make the skin appear more healthy and to remove freckles, but sometimes the entire body or face of a model is being altered..

I’ve experienced this personally when seeing new pictures of fellow models and thinking “OMG she just lost a ton of weight” & ” What diet is she on, I must give it a go”! About 2 weeks later I see the same model at a casting and she looks perfectly normal and healthy.. And when I ask her about those certain pictures, she admits it’s all just photoshop..

I don’t like this phenomenon at all because it creates an unhealthy image about how a woman should be and what a woman is supposed to look like..Models aren’t freaks of nature with some kind of super genes ( ok there are some out there , but few) but the industry is defenitely creating that mindset..

For myself, I have to watch what I eat and try to eat healthy 90% percent of the time but I do eat icecream or chocolate once in a while..I’m only human

Before and after Photoshopping pictures:

I have one picture in my portfolio where my legs are lenghtened about 10 cm or about 4 inches –>

Ultra long legs? Not so much

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I was reading Julie’s blog PB fingers and she made salmon burger for dinner last night.. I thought this would make an awesome lunch for me and the boyfriend..

Salmon burgers on whole wheat bread (adapted from PBfingers)

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon filets
• fresh chives
• fresh rosemary
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/3 cup light mayonaise
• salt
• pepper
• salsa herbs
• garlic

Combine all the ingredients in the food processor and blend awaaaaaaaaaaay!

Questions:

- Do you ever compare yourself with models or celebrities?

- Do you often believe that the photoshopped pictures are real?

- What’s your favorite salmon recipe?

Off to the fair!

Hey hey hey

Have you guys had a busy weekend? Mine was packed! I went to bikram yoga friday morning and later that night we want to one of the biggest fair here in antwerp: the sinksenfoor!

We had a lot of fun just browsing the fair and looking for something to eat.. The boyfriend was looking for some “smartieballs” and decided to buy 10 pieces with some sugar..

I had one to taste but was more in the mood for ice-cream! A friend of mine told me that he discovered a new cute gelato parlor called “the gelato factory”.. Real italian icecream!!?? Hell yeah, let’s go there!

I had straciatella and cookie dough chocolate icecream! Deeelish!

Before the fair, I visited my mom’s for dinner.. She cooked a great dinner: Grilled tuna, wild rice and a salad.. Thanx mom, it was  a great meal!!

Some fun fair pictures:

 

As you can see, the picture quality isn’t that great so I decided to buy a new blackberry with a better camera ( So I can secretly snap pictures of my food whilst acting like I’m texting mwwhooahoaaa )

I bought the new blackberry Torch so picture quality will be improving.. I promise

 

Questions

-How was your weekend?   Mine was bizzy but so fun! We stayed up until 5am, talking about life and having great discussions.. Love it!

- Top weekend eats? The gelato, for sure!!

 

 

 

 

 

Dreaming of july: roadtrip!!

Hi guys! How is everyone doing? )

The working season has slowed down a bit, which is good because I really worked a lot the last few weeks.. Now I can concentrate on Bikram yoga!! ( Remember I won that unlimited memebership for a month?)

I was out for about a week because work was so bizzy, so wednesday I went back after a week of doing nothing ( except some running).. The class was extremely hot and humid and I really had a rough time powering through.. I really stood there thinking.. “Well, is this what I’ve been lingering for the whole week.. NICE.. haha”. I had to lay down the last 15 minutes of the class, because I started to resemble a tomato..

Not kidding there

But I went back, this fridaymorning and had a great class.. Now that’s what I’ve signed up for I’ll keep you posted on how the Bikram mini challenge is going

 

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On to some recent eatsies:

Grilled Zucchini, grilled pepper, grilled shrimps and tomato whole wheat pasta..

Apple, greek yoghurt, muesli and goji berries..

Steamed carrots, steamed brocolli, steamed green beans, quinoa, veggie steak and hummus..

 

Sliced apple with coconut butter and Goji berries..

Sliced apple, kiwi and banana with coconut butter and raw cacao nibs…

Soy yoghurt..

Cheerios with rice milk and soy protein powder..

 

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So this summer I will be spending 18 days in the lovely US of A.. I’m soooo excited!!I’m even crossing the days on my calender haha

We will be doing a road trip on the westcoast of the USA together with a another ( L&S)..

This will be our ride ( or something comparable) :

I call it “the beast”   We needed a full size SUV because with 4 people, there is a lot of luggage + we will be driving about 3500 miles during our trip..

Our trip will start in..

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOs angeles!

Next stop:

Yosemite national park..

On to:

Saaaaan fraaaaaaaaannnnnnnciscooooooooooooo

From then on, we have to drive a looooong time to get to Yellowstone, but we all agreed we couldn’t miss this miracle of nature..

On-the-road stops:

and

This will be the higlight of our trip:

Yellowstone National park!!

Next stop: Bryce canyon and..

 

Arches!!

 

Ofcourse the grand canyon will also be visited..

Last stop: Vegas baby!! We’ll stay here a bit longer to do some shopping and relax by the pool after a hopefully fun but defenitely tiring trip..

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!!! *jump jump jump*

Questions:

- Have you ever been to one of these places? How was it?

- What is your dream trip/ destination?

 

 

FAQ: Bikram yoga..

Hey guys!

I stumbled upon this FAQ page of a Bikram yoga site  and I thought it would be nice to list those questions on the bloggie, since a lot of people are apprehensive towards trying Bikram.. Enjoy! (Note: I got this FAQ of the site “Bikram yoga college of India”, I linked back 2 times, just letting you guys know before I get some nasty comments)

1. Why is it important to learn from a Bikram Yoga Certified Instructor?
	It takes more than a hot room and a list of postures to make your Bikram Method Yoga practice a safe, rewarding experience. Bikram Method Yoga is a specialized form of yoga, requiring appropriate training and knowledge to teach it effectively. Bikram Choudhury, the creator of Bikram Yoga, personally trains and certifies his instructors to ensure that his methods and philosophy are preserved and properly taught. To be certified as an instructor in the Bikram Method of Yoga, an instructor must complete an intensive nine-week training session requiring over 500 hours of study. A studio guided by a Certified Instructor provides the best possible instruction in the Bikram Method. Certified Instructors have a continuing connection to Bikram Choudhury and his training staff, allowing the Certified Studio to draw from all of the resources Bikram’s training center has to offer. This includes special seminars, posture clinics, guest instructors, and answers to questions which may arise in a particular practitioner’s Bikram Yoga practice. Many can claim thta they teach “Bikram Yoga,” but unless there is a Certified Instructor supervising how and what is taught at that studio, you are not getting true the Bikram Yoga.

2. How does Bikram Yoga work?
	By the tourniquet effect: stretching, balancing (using gravity), and creating pressure all at the same time. The blood supply in arteries and veins is being cut off, creating pressure. When released, a lock gate effect is created, causing blood to rush through veins and arteries, flushing them out. Also, pressure is applied to the heart by its relative position to the rest of the body 3. What is happening in my body during Bikram Yoga?   Muscles are contracted and stretched at a cellular, biochemical level. Lipids and proteins reorganize optimally in such stretching, allowing for better circulation. Joint mobility and range of motion is increased, and strength is built by the use of gravity. Muscles and joints are balanced. Blood and calcium are brought to the bones. Working against gravity strengthens the bones. The organs of the immune system within the bones (red marrow) are boosted. The lymph nodes are massaged, lymph is pumped throughout the body, and white blood cells are distributed throughout the body as the lymphatic system works more efficiently. There is compression and extension to the thymus, spleen, appendix and intestines; lungs are stretched and flushed out by increased blood circulation. The endocrine glands are encouraged to secrete appropriate hormones, and the communication between hormones and various glands and systems of the body is perfected. Toxins and waste are eliminated through the organs of elimination. The nerves are stimulated by compression and extension, improving communication within the systems of the body and supplying fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout. The brain is stimulated by improved circulation and by varying blood pressure. 4. I feel nausous, dizzy during class and very tired after my first class. Is this normal?   It is not unusual to feel nauseous or dizzy during your first class.  Practicing yoga in a heated room reveals to us our present condition, and inspires us take much better care of ourselves. Usually the problem is that we do not drink enough water for daily living, let alone for exercising in a heated room. Nutritionists tell us that we need 64-80 ounces of water a day to help the body function properly.  In the heated yoga room, your body needs adequate fund of water to allow perspiration to release heat from the body as you   practice. So we estimate you need another 64-80 ounces (sometime during the day)   to allow for your 90 minutes in the room.  Once you are drinking enough water your body will tolerate the heat better and you will actually enjoy the heat.If you feel disoriented or like you need a good nap after your first few classes, this is likely because your body has begun to cleanse itself as a result of the yoga practice. Don’t be scared. After the first few classes this sensation will pass. The more you can relax as you give your 110% honest effort during class, the more energized you will feel throughout the class and throughout the rest of your day. Natasha Lee, one of our readers, also suggested:” Hello, I am the executive director of a nutrition company. I was reading on your website that some students can feel sick to their stomach and dizzy during the class.  The recommendation is to drink water. This is incomplete.  Those are specific symptoms of salt and potassium depletion and can easily be remedied by taking salt and potassium tablets before class.  The centers should have this available.  The uncomfortable feelings one experiences in a sauna or heated room can be avoided completely by simply taking these minerals. Sea salt and potassium, are the least expensive of all minerals and can be obtained anywhere.  Nausea, headaches, all of this can be avoided with these 2 minerals.” 5. What is the recommended room temperature for Bikram Yoga?   The recommended temperature is minimum 105F degrees and about 40% humidity. The room is kept at this temperature or more for the following: Keeping the body from overheating (contrary to popular misconception) Protecting the muscles to allow for deeper stretching Detoxing the body (open pores to let toxins out) Thinning the blood to clear the circulatory system Increasing heart rate for better cardiovascular workout Improving strength by putting muscle tissue in optimal state for reorganization Reorganize the lipids (fat) in the muscular structure 6. Can you please explain 80-20 breathing and exhalation breathing?   80-20:In this method of breathing, you take in a full breath.  Go to the posture and continuously let out 20 percent of the air through your nose with your mouth closed. In postures that require 80-20 breathing, you need oxygen in the lungs to do the posture, so you will be able to maintain proper strength while performing the posture.Exhalation: In exhalation breathing, you take in a full breath and exhale the breath completely when you achieve the posture. While you are doing the posture you should continue exhaling.With either breathing technique, you should not strain. In the beginning, your lung capacity will not be large enough for you to sustain yourself with the above breathing methods. To prevent straining your lungs, take another breath as needed and continue with the breathing method. As your lung capacity improves and you improve doing your Yoga postures, you will find that following these breathing methods becomes as natural as doing the Yoga postures themselves 7. Is Bikram Yoga aerobic?   The word aerobicliterally means “with oxygen” or “in the presence of oxygen, involving or improving oxygen consumption by the body .” Aerobic activity trains the heart, lungs and cardiovascular system to process and deliver oxygen more quickly and efficiently to every part of the body by elevating the heart rate during exercise to its target level. As the heart muscle becomes stronger and more efficient, a larger amount of blood can be pumped with each stroke. Fewer strokes are then required to rapidly transport oxygen to all parts of the body.You can derive these benefits from practicing Bikram yoga. Use this formula to find your target heart rate.220 minus your age times 60% and times 90%For example, a 30-year old would calculate his target zone using the above formula: 220-30=190. 190x.60=114 and 190x.90=171. This individual would try to keep his heartrate between 114 (low end) and 171 (high end) beats per minute. You can take your pulse during class and see that due to the nature of the asanas, your heart rate and respiration become elevated to your target level. This can help you determine how intensely to work during class. 8. With a proper diet is Bikram Yoga good for weight loss?   A minimum of 10 classes per month is recommended to get the benefits of Bikram Yoga, among which is weight normalization. As a beginner, It takes three classes for your body to understand the proper approach to the posture, and ten classes for your body to begin to work with postures. You will realize optimization of all your body systems.Digestion and respiration, as well as endocrine, lymphatic and elimination systems will begin to work harmoniously.  Your appetite will normalize, and your unhealthy cravings will diminish. All of these results will help to normalize your weight if you devote yourself to regular practice, at least, but preferably more than 3 times per week.Source

Fashion post: Wish List

Hey hey

I’m back with another fashion post! Here is my wish list for the summer.. Hope you guys like it!

What is on your fashion wish list?

Paris recap and recent reflections..

Hi Guys!!! Guess who’s back?

( And then this song popped into my head:

Guess whos back, back again
Shadys back, tell a friend
Guess who’s back, guess who’s back,
guess who’s back
Guess who’s back…nanananananananananana

Alllllrightie then..)

I got back from Paris yesterday evening.. Unfortunately I didn’t even see Paris this time ( I have been there already 3 times, so I’ve seen the city already but damn, I wanted to see something! )

After I arrived there Saturday night, the taxi took us straight to the hotel.. I decided to go to bed early because the next day we had to work from 9 am until 9pm.. And believe me, trying out 300 wedding dresses and standing on heels for 12 hours isn’t a breeze.. I really had a good night sleep that night

After that long day, the team went out to a Italian restaurant very close to our hotel.. I was so happy when everyone was in the mood for fish so the owner started to prepare some grilled tuna and white fish.. They gave us 7 plates to divide over our team and served everything on big dishes.. Very family style, I kinda love that!

On my plate: Grilled tuna, grilled peppers in olive oil, grilled zucchini and rucola salad..

After dinner I went straight to bed because the next day we had to work from 9am until 6pm and then catch the train back to Belgium..

The team decided to go to mac donalds, I really don’t like to eat there so I got an unpictured salmon wrap.. Much better

Here are some piccies:

My colleagues

Acting goofy woofy

Having a 10 minute break because our feet were killing us

Acting silly again.. Try to find my colleague somewhere

A fan is very much needed if you’re trying on a zillion dresses.. we’re feeling hot hot HOT!

Our little hang out space 

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I also wanted to write a little piece on consuming dairy and veganism.. I know that in previous posts I wanted to eliminate dairy completely from my diet and subbed this primarily with soy products..

After trying this for a few months I have to say that I don’t necessarily feel better doing this.. When on the road or traveling as much as I am, it is soooo difficult just eating healthy and I feel like eliminating dairy all together is too restricting for me at the moment.. I haven’t touched any meat though in the last 2 months, because it is very easy to find fish everywhere and I really don’t like eating it any longer after watching food inc and reading skinny bitch.. So if you guys see some greek yoghurt appear on the bloggie, sorry but that’s the way it’s gonna be.. I don’t like to label myself.. I just try to be healthy, whilst eating a variety of foods ( I will keep buying almond milk/ rice milk/ oat milk and soy milk because I think variety is very important in a diet + I really like the taste)

That’s all for now folks..Have a nice day!!

Questions:

- What does your diet look like?

- Do you eliminate certain foods or avoid them?

- For what reason?

Pre-Paris eats..

Hi guys!

Tonight I’m leaving for a two day work trip to the wonderfull city Paris!

I’ll be working there for a bridal fair, where we will do some fittings of bridal gowns and some catwalk shows..

I’ll definitely will have a lot to look at! All those nice gowns and jewellery ) We’ll be staying in a super nice 4* hotel and the fair is starting on sunday from 9am until 9 pm until monday from 9am until 6pm.. I think I’ll be tired after this trip Fortunately, I have a day off on tuesday.. I’m starting to miss my Bikram yoga!

I was planning to go to Bikram yesterday and this morning, but I just got spraytanned for the bridal fair ( they want their models to be tan instead of the Vampire look I got going on ) The lady from the spraytanning place specifically told me to NOT shower or do any exercise, because the formula really needed to dry a couple of hours.. Preferably a day or so.. I guess sweating your ass off with Bikram isn’t an option!

I did however win an unlimited class card of Bikram for one month, so I might take the opportunity to do a lil modified Bikram challenge.. I’ll put running on hold for a bit ( my 10 k isn’t due until september) so I can go to Bikram as much as I can before heading to the USA on the 12th of july for our roadtrip.. I’ll keep you posted on how it feels to do Bikram 4-5-6 times a week instead of 2 times a week..

Before heading off to the city of love ( without my love *boehoe*) here are some recent eatsies:

Chocolate oatmeal with protein powder and raw cacao nibs..

So psyched I found these in the store! Organic vegetable mix to steam in the microwave.. Perfect for quick and easy suppers!

Cheerios with chocolate protein powder, banana, raw cacao nibs and almond milk..

Lunch! Pink lady apple, multigrain bread with banana and coconut butter..

Yesterday, the boy decided to go to mac donalds so I made a healthyfied version of burger and fries.. Ovenfries(baked for about 20 min in the oven), mixed salad and a veggie burger.. The sauce was a mixture of yogonaise and ketchup.. hmm.. This feast clocked in at about 550 kcal ( I was curious comparing it to the meal my boyfriend had, the mac do meal had about 1200 kcal in it.. scoreee!)

This morning’s breakkie: strawberries with coconut butter and raw cacao nibs, whole wheat toast with melted cheese and whole wheat toast with nanner..

See you guys from Paris!

Questions:

-Have u ever been to Paris? If yes, did you like it?

- Favorite breakfast meal?

Fashion post : New sandals!

Hi there,

Here is my first ever Fashion post! I’m planning on putting some random buys and outfits under this tab

Yesterday I was thinking that I needed some new sandals for our trip to the USA this summer so I went to look on the fab site http://www.asos.com..

I found some very cute ones, one pair was in gold and the other one in white.. What to choose huh Fortunately the ones in white were on sale so it didn’t take long to decide I think the white ones will look great on some tanned legs..

Product name: Asos-Fantasy-Leather-Swirl-Toe-Post-Sandals

Colour: white

Price: On sale for 29.31 dollar or 21.79 euro